Emergency Texts Increase

In two separate stories I read that emergency text message campaigns are on the rise.

From 9News, the local NBC affiliate in Denver, regarding a stabbing incident that occurred on campus at University of Colorado in Boulder this week:

CU Police also want students to know they used a new text message alert system to warn students during Monday’s attack. It was the first time the system has been used. The school sends an alert to any student who is signed up for the program just after it happens. …

At the time of the stabbing CU says only 1,300 people had registered for the service. That number had ballooned to 5,845 by 4:55 p.m. on Monday.

And on 160Characters about how the Chinese citizens are being alerted to natural disasters via text message:

Before the recent Typhoon Sepat that swept China’s central province of Hunan, local meteorological authorities issued typhoon warnings by sending text messages to 2.25 million mobile phone users all over the province.

The CU Emergency Alert system was new this school year. It had just been launched on August 23rd – only 5 days before the stabbing.

As for the Chinese alert – did you catch that it was 2.25 MILLION people getting the alert? I wonder if this was a 911 type situation where the mobile carriers or the government just sent the alert without permission or if 2.25 million people had opted-in to an emergency alert situation.

According to ChinaTravelGuide.com, the province of Hunan is 81,000 square miles and has a total population of 64,400,700. This is roughly the size of Kansas with the populations of California, Texas and Michigan combined. WOW. (Thanks to EnchantedLeanring.com for that info.)

In China, the alert went to 3.5% of the province’s population and in CU the alert went to 4.5% of the student population. After Monday’s attack a full 20% of the student population is signed up.